Stomach Surgery

Laparoscopic gastric bypass is a less invasive form of gastric bypass surgery. As with the standard gastric bypass surgery, the laparoscopic approach can give patients that suffer with obesity the chance to regain a healthy body weight and maintain that ideal weight successfully. Often, patients that are considered for weight loss surgery have found it impossible to shed those extra pounds with other weight loss methods, or have seen some success initially but have been unable to keep the weight off as time passes.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery works in the same way as the standard procedure, making the stomach smaller to reduce food intake and bypassing a portion of the small intestine to shorten the distance food travels through the digestive system, reducing the amount of calories absorbed into the body as it passes through.

Standard open method surgery requires a rather large incision to complete the procedure, while the laparoscopic gastric bypass method uses a number of tiny incisions, generally five of them, to accomplish the same result. This is made possible by the use of a miniature video camera, which is inserted through one small incision to give the surgeon a view of the area on a video screen, while small instruments are inserted through the other incisions to perform the procedure.

The laparoscopic gastric bypass method provides a shorter surgery, faster hospital discharge, less risk of surgical complications, and a more comfortable recovery. The small incisions used with laparoscopic surgery leave scars that are much less apparent than those produced by traditional surgery.

As with any Bariatric surgery, laparoscopic gastric bypass is not a quick fix for obesity. The patient must be ready to commit to a long-term change in eating habits and lifestyle to reach their weight loss goals and maintain good health. Gastric bypass is a step to be considered carefully by both the patient and the physician, ensuring that the risks and benefits are fully understood before a decision is made.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass has proven extremely effective to encourage and sustain weight loss in severely obese patients, especially when used as one component in an overall lifestyle adjustment. With nutrition counseling and a consistent exercise routine, laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery can be a great step towards improved health and an enhanced quality of life for people who have severe weight issues, warding off the many severe complications that obesity can cause.